From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from sog-mx-2.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com ([172.29.43.192] helo=mx.sourceforge.net) by sfs-ml-4.v29.ch3.sourceforge.com with esmtp (Exim 4.76) (envelope-from ) id 1TNX0M-00030F-RN for bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net; Sun, 14 Oct 2012 22:49:54 +0000 Received-SPF: pass (sog-mx-2.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com: domain of gmail.com designates 74.125.82.53 as permitted sender) client-ip=74.125.82.53; envelope-from=mh.in.england@gmail.com; helo=mail-wg0-f53.google.com; Received: from mail-wg0-f53.google.com ([74.125.82.53]) by sog-mx-2.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com with esmtps (TLSv1:RC4-SHA:128) (Exim 4.76) id 1TNX0L-0000LV-UO for bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net; Sun, 14 Oct 2012 22:49:54 +0000 Received: by mail-wg0-f53.google.com with SMTP id dr1so3044283wgb.10 for ; Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:49:47 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.180.79.100 with SMTP id i4mr19419035wix.12.1350254987780; Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:49:47 -0700 (PDT) Sender: mh.in.england@gmail.com Received: by 10.216.236.30 with HTTP; Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:49:47 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: References: <201210142202.47221.luke@dashjr.org> Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:49:47 +0200 X-Google-Sender-Auth: jTBrrCx4Yzpm_pfAjsccQBtLcwM Message-ID: From: Mike Hearn To: Gregory Maxwell Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 X-Spam-Score: -1.5 (-) X-Spam-Report: Spam Filtering performed by mx.sourceforge.net. See http://spamassassin.org/tag/ for more details. -1.5 SPF_CHECK_PASS SPF reports sender host as permitted sender for sender-domain 0.0 FREEMAIL_FROM Sender email is commonly abused enduser mail provider (mh.in.england[at]gmail.com) -0.0 SPF_PASS SPF: sender matches SPF record 0.1 DKIM_SIGNED Message has a DKIM or DK signature, not necessarily valid -0.1 DKIM_VALID Message has at least one valid DKIM or DK signature X-Headers-End: 1TNX0L-0000LV-UO Cc: bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] Hosting of compiled bitcoin client X-BeenThere: bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9 Precedence: list List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2012 22:49:54 -0000 The laws in question are OFAC sanctions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Foreign_Assets_Control The specific acts that enable this are varied. In theory they apply to any US citizen or resident. The issue is not cryptography, it's "trade with sanctioned countries", period, where making files available to download is considered trade. For Bitcoin to be available in these places, the sites and download mirrors would need to be hosted outside the USA by non-citizens. EU sanctions are primarily financial at this time, as far as I know there are no attempts to prevent people from serving data to Iran. Example of places where there are no sanctions in effect: Switzerland. Unfortunately datacenter space in Zurich is quite expensive (as is everything here). I would not ever describe OFAC as "effective law". The SDN list has repeatedly been found unconstitutional, representing as it does a complete evasion of the judicial system. If you end up on the sanctions list no evidence is required, no process is followed and no appeals are possible. The list itself assumes names are globally unique.